Restaurant promotions mark 12.12.12

Because today's date — 12.12.12 — is the last major numerical date using the Gregorian or Christian calendar until Jan. 1, 3001, some restaurant brands are using it to their promotional advantage.

Dunkin' Donuts is celebrating with a special one-day 12.12.12 Twitter Sweepstakes, for the chance to win one of 12 $100 Dunkin' Donuts mGifts.

The promotion began at 6 a.m. ET today and continues for 12 straight hours to 6 p.m. ET. Fans who tweet @DunkinDonuts and answer the question, "with whom would you like to share a dozen donuts?" will be considered for the prize. Tweets must include the hashtag #DDozen.

"12.12.12 is truly a unique day to celebrate dozens, and for Dunkin' Donuts, it's a special opportunity to recognize the joy and delight people have when sharing a dozen donuts," said John Costello, Dunkin' Brands chief global marketing and innovation officer.

Krispy Kreme is marking "The Day of the Dozens" and posted a special "doughnut surprise" at 12:01 a.m., which is a coupon for one free dozen Original Glazed Doughnuts. The offer is good today only at participating locations.

"As usual our social media fans came through in a huge way," said Dwayne Chambers, chief marketing officer Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. "We challenged them to help us get 12,000 new likes to our Facebook page and we would offer a special doughnut surprise on 12.12.12: The Day of the Dozens at Krispy Kreme. We've actually gained over 63,000 new likes and it continues to grow thanks to their loyalty."

An email has been circulating about McDonald's locations offering its Big Mac today for $1.12.